Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A communication control device comprising: circuitry configured to control base stations of one or more small cells which are partly or entirely overlapped by a macrocell to transmit signals for measurement by a terminal device and decide a timing at which each of the signals is transmitted in accordance with a time taken for a corresponding one of the base stations to be activated from an idle state; transmit small cell information to the terminal device, the small cell information comprising a list including the timing at which each of the signals is transmitted and information that indicates a frequency channel at which each of the signals is transmitted; acquire a result of the measurement performed by the terminal device with regard to said one or more small cells; and select a base station which is not to be set in the idle state from base stations of the one or more small cells based on the result of the measurement.
A communication control device manages power consumption in small cell networks overlaid on a macrocell. It has circuitry that instructs small cell base stations to transmit measurement signals to terminal devices. The timing of each signal transmission is based on the activation time of the respective base station from an idle state. The device sends small cell information to the terminal, including a list of transmission timings and frequency channels for each signal. It receives measurement results from the terminal and then selects one small cell base station to remain active (not idle) based on these measurements, reducing overall power consumption by allowing other small cell base stations to enter an idle state.
2. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more small cells are small cells selected based on position information which indicates a position of the terminal device.
Building upon the communication control device described previously, the selection of small cells for measurement signal transmission is further refined. The selection of the one or more small cells is based on the terminal device's location. This means the communication control device uses the terminal's position information to prioritize measurement signals from small cells geographically close to the terminal, optimizing the measurement process and focusing on relevant small cells. By factoring in location, the system improves the efficiency of the power-saving mechanism in the overlapping macrocell and small cell network.
3. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the base stations of the one or more small cells; and refrain from causing the selected base station to be in the idle state, and cause a base station other than the selected base station among the base stations of the one or more small cells to be in the idle state.
Continuing from the initial communication control device description, this device actively manages the idle state of small cell base stations. After selecting a base station to remain active based on the terminal's measurements, the circuitry prevents that selected base station from entering an idle state. Simultaneously, it forces other base stations within the same group of small cells to enter an idle state. This ensures that at least one small cell base station is always available for communication while minimizing overall power consumption by deactivating the others.
4. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the signals for the measurement is a reference signal.
In the context of the communication control device, the measurement signals transmitted by the small cell base stations are reference signals. These reference signals are specifically designed for the terminal device to measure signal strength and quality, enabling the terminal to accurately assess the suitability of each small cell for communication. The terminal's measurements of these reference signals are then used by the communication control device to determine which small cell base station should remain active, optimizing power consumption and communication quality.
5. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the result of the measurement includes information regarding reception power or quality of a signal for the measurement.
Expanding on the initial communication control device, the measurement results from the terminal device include information about the received power or quality of the measurement signals (reference signals) transmitted by the small cell base stations. This allows the communication control device to evaluate how well the terminal device is receiving signals from each small cell. The device then uses this signal strength or quality information to intelligently select the best small cell base station to keep active, thereby maximizing communication performance and minimizing power consumption.
6. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the result of the measurement is information regarding part of the one or more small cells.
Considering the communication control device's functionality, the measurement results provided by the terminal device might only pertain to a subset of the available small cells. Rather than measuring all small cells within the overlapping macrocell area, the terminal might only measure a selection of them. This selective measurement approach could be used to reduce the terminal's power consumption or to prioritize measurement of small cells that are more likely to be suitable for communication based on factors such as proximity or previous performance.
7. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein, when reception power or quality of a signal for the measurement with regard to all of the one or more small cells does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, the result of the measurement includes information which indicates that the reception power or the quality with regard to all of the small cells does not exceed the predetermined threshold value.
Focusing on specific measurement scenarios, if the received signal power or quality from all the measured small cells is below a defined threshold, the terminal reports this collective inadequacy to the communication control device. Instead of providing individual measurements for each cell, the terminal sends a single indicator stating that none of the small cells meet the minimum signal quality requirements. This allows the communication control device to quickly determine that none of the small cells are currently suitable and potentially trigger alternative actions, such as adjusting the threshold or activating additional small cells.
8. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to select the base station that is not to be set in the idle state when notification of a demand for performing radio communication in a small cell is given by the terminal device.
Expanding on the operation of the communication control device, the selection of a small cell base station to remain active can be triggered by a request from the terminal device. If the terminal needs to perform radio communication via a small cell, it sends a request to the communication control device. Upon receiving this request, the device uses the previously described measurement and selection process to identify the most suitable small cell base station and keep it active, ensuring that the terminal can establish a connection.
9. The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal device is able to perform radio communication using one principal frequency band and one or more auxiliary frequency bands, and wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the terminal device to use a frequency band for the macrocell as the one principal frequency band and to use a frequency band for the small cell of the selected base station as one of the one or more auxiliary frequency bands.
In a scenario where the terminal device supports carrier aggregation (using multiple frequency bands), the communication control device plays a role in band selection. The terminal can use one primary frequency band and multiple auxiliary frequency bands. The communication control device configures the terminal to use the macrocell's frequency band as the primary band and the selected small cell's frequency band as one of the auxiliary bands. This allows the terminal to simultaneously connect to both the macrocell and the selected small cell, improving data throughput and overall communication performance.
10. A communication control method comprising: controlling base stations of one or more small cells which are partly or entirely overlapped by a macrocell to transmit signals for measurement by a terminal device and deciding a timing at which each of the signals is transmitted in accordance with a time taken for a corresponding one of the base stations to be activated from an idle state; transmitting small cell information to the terminal device, the small cell information comprising a list including the timing at which each of the signals is transmitted and information that indicates a frequency channel at which each of the signals is transmitted; acquiring a result of the measurement performed by the terminal device with regard to said one or more small cells; and selecting, using a processor, a base station which is not to be set in the idle state from base stations of the one or more small cells based on the result of the measurement.
A communication control method is implemented to manage power in overlaid macro and small cell networks. It includes instructing small cell base stations to transmit measurement signals to a terminal. The signal timing is determined by how long it takes each base station to activate from an idle state. Small cell information, including signal timing and frequency channel details, is sent to the terminal. Measurement results from the terminal are acquired. Based on these results, a processor selects one small cell base station to remain active, allowing other base stations to enter an idle state, thus saving power.
11. A communication control device comprising: circuitry configured to control transmission of a signal for measurement performed by a terminal device with regard to a small cell which is partly or entirely overlapped by a macrocell and decide a timing at which the signal is transmitted in accordance with a time taken for a base station of the small cell to be activated from an idle state; transmit small cell information to the terminal device, the small cell information comprising a list including the timing of the signal and information that indicates a frequency channel at which the signal is transmitted; and refrain from causing the base station of the small cell to be in an idle state when the base station of the small cell is selected as a base station that is not to be set in the idle state based on a result of the measurement.
A communication control device focuses on managing a single small cell within a macrocell overlay. The circuitry controls the transmission of a measurement signal from the small cell to a terminal. The timing of this signal is based on the activation time of the small cell base station from an idle state. The device sends small cell information (signal timing, frequency) to the terminal. Critically, if the small cell is chosen (based on the terminal's measurements) as the base station not to be idled, the device ensures that the small cell's base station remains active.
12. A terminal device comprising: circuitry configured to receive signals from base stations of one or more small cells which are partly or entirely overlapped by a macrocell, each of the signals being received at a timing decided in accordance with a time taken for a corresponding one of the base stations to be activated from an idle state; receive small cell information comprising a list including the timing at which each of the signals is received and information that indicates a frequency channel at which each of the signals is transmitted; determine a result of measurement with regard to the one or more small cells; and provide the result of the measurement to a communication control device which selects a base station which is not to be set in the idle state from the base stations of the one or more small cells based on the result of the measurement.
A terminal device operates within a network containing a macrocell and overlapping small cells. The device receives signals from small cell base stations; the timing of each signal is synchronized with the activation time of each base station from its idle state. The terminal receives small cell information, which includes a list of signal timings and frequency channels. It then measures signal characteristics from these small cells and reports the measurement results to a communication control device. This device uses these measurements to choose a small cell base station to remain active.
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October 31, 2017
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